UNIT – 1

Physiographic Division of India

Facts:
India lies entirely in the north-eastern hemisphere. India is the land of diversity
in all aspects – cultural, social, biotic and geographical. India is the 7th largest
country in the world. It accounts for 2.4% of the total world area and 16% of
total human population. India drives its name from the river Indus which flows
in the north west. India covers an area of 3.28 million km2.
North to south extent = 3214 km
East to west extent = 2933 km
Indian mainland extends from 3706 N to 804 N of latitude and 6807’E to 97025’e
of longitude. Indira Point, the southernmost point of India is situated at
6030’N(Andaman and Nicobar Island)

Physiographic division of India:

India is a country of great physical diversity. There are 6 major physiographic
divisions of India:
1. Himalayas or Northern and Eastern mountain
2. Northern Plain
3. Peninsular Plateau
4. Indian Desert
5. Coastal Plains
6. Islands
The Northern Mountain:
It is divided into three groups:
 The Himalayas
 The Trans Himalayas
 The Puranchal hills

Himalayas
Himalayas are the young fold mountains, forming arc shape. This is the highest
mountain range of the world.
Himalayas act as natural barrier. The extreme cold, snow and rugged
topography discourage the neighbors to enter India through Himalayas. They
run from west-east direction from Indus to Brahmaputra, spread over 2500
km. The Himalayas may be divided into three parallel ranges: (Ranges of
Himalayas)
(a) Greater Himalayas or Himadari
(b) Lesser Himalayas or Himachal
(c) Outer Himalayas or Siwaliks
(a) The Greater Himalayas or Himadari: The Greater Himalayas comprises of
the northern most ranges and peaks. It has an average height of 6000 metres
and width lies between 120 to 190 Kms .It is the most continuous range. It is
snow bound and many glaciers descend from this range. It has high peaks like
Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Nanga Parbat etc. having a
height of more than 8000 metres. Mt. Everest (8848 m) is the highest peak of
the world and Kanchenjunga is the highest peak of Himalaya in India. High
Mountain passes also exist in this range, namely, Bara Lacha-La, Shipki-La,
Nathu-La, Zoji-La, Bomidi-La etc. The Ganga and Yamuna rivers originates from
this Himalayas.
The ranges are made up of granite and gneisses.
(b) The Lesser Himalayas or Himachal: The altitude of this range lies between
1000 and 4500 metres and the average width is 50 KM. The Prominent ranges
in this are Pir Panjal, Dhaula Dhar and Mahabharata ranges.It compresses of
many famous hill stations like Shimla, Dalhousie Darjeeling, Chakrata,
Mussoorie, Nanital etc. It also comprises of famous valleys like Kashmir, Kullu,
Kangra etc.
Metamorphic rock structure due to Compression
(c) The Outer Himalayas or the Siwaliks: It is the outer most range of the
Himalayas. The altitude varies between 900-1100 meters and the width lies
between 10-50 KM. They have low hills like Jammu Hills, etc.The valleys lying
between Siwalik and Lesser Himalayas (Himachal) are called ‘Duns’ like Dehra
Dun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun

(ii) The Trans-Himalayan ranges (Present in North & North western –

J&K, Pakistan)
It extends north of greater Himalaya and parallel to zaskar range. This part is
older than the grater himalayas. Average height is about 5000 m. They include
the Karakoram, The Zoskar, The Ladhak and Kailas range.
The Indus river flows between Zaskar and Ladakh range. The Karakoram range
lie extreme north of the country. K2 is the second highest peak of the world.
(iii) The Purvanchal hills or the eastern Himalayas
It comprises of low hills like Naga, Mizo hills which are located in eastern side.
Blue Mountain (2157m.) is heights peak in this region. The Meghalaya plateau
is also part of these hills which includes the hills of Garo, Khasi and Jaintia.

Formation of Hiamalays
The Himalayas was formed in tertiary era.
1. The Plate Tectonic Theory – origin of himalyas
2. The Geosynclinal Theory
Plate tectonic theory was given by W.J. Morgan.
i) Eurasian Plate
Tethys sea (In between these two plate)
ii) Indo-Australian Plate
Northward movement of Indo-Australian plate and collision with eurasian
plate led to the formation of trans-himalayas.

Northern Plains

The Northern Plains are located between the Himalayas and the Peninsular
plateau. Plains were formed by the deposition of the sediments brought by
three main river systems namely : the Indus, the Ganga and the
Brahmaputra. (alluvial deposits)
Northern plains in detail –
Area:
Total length of north Indian plains is 2400 Km and width varies from 145 to
480km.
Crops Grown:
Crops grown here are primarily rice and wheat. These crops are grown in
rotation.
Reverine Islands:
The numerous tributaries of the rivers that flow through the plains form
reverine islands.

Physiographic divisions of the Great Plains of India: The great

plains are classified into four belts -
1. The Bhabar Plain belt:
It lies to the south of the Shiwalik from west to east. Bhabar is made of
gravel & Coarse sand.
2. The Bhangar Plains: (Older alluvial)
The Old Alluvium is called as Bhangar (Deposited away from the bank of
the river).

3. The Khadar Plains: (New alluvial tracts)

The New Alluvium that is deposited is know as Khadar. (Deposited Near the
river bank ).
4. The Tarai belt
The tarai belt is known for the good cultivation of sugarcane, rice,
wheat, maize, oilseeds, pulses, and fodder. This belt was originally
covered with thock forests.
It is a marshy area commonly found in Brahmaputra Valley due to heavy
rainfall.
5. Delta Plains
A delta plain is a type of low-lying coastal plain, formed at the
mouth a river, where it flows into an ocean. Deltas are formed from
the deposition of sediment carried by a river as it flows.

Divisions of northern plains: The northern plains of India may

be divided into four major regions -
1. The Punjab-Haryana
plains  formed by the river Indus and its
tributaries with major portion of
this plains in Pakistan
  Major tributaries of Indus – Jhelum,
Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Satluj
(originate from Himalyas)

2. The Ganga plains  Lie between Ghaggar and Tista

rivers
 It extends over the states of
Haryana, Delhi, UP, Bihar, part of
Jharkhand and West Bengal.
 The Ganga and its tributaries feed the
Ganges plains

3. The Brahmaputra  The Brahmaputra plains are fed by the

plains Brahmaputra river and its tributaries.
 From Tista river to Dihang with major
portion lying in Assam

4. The plains of  They lie to the west of Aravallis, a

Rajasthan large part of it is covered with desert.
 Significance of the Great Plains of India:
 The Northern Plains are also known as the Great Plains or the Indo-
Gangetic plains. They rank among the most densely populated areas.
 The Northern plains are one of the world’s most intensely farmed areas.
Crops grown here – rice & wheat, maize, sugarcane and cotton etc.
 Most fertile (high alluvial deposits)----- “Granary of India”.

The Peninsular Plateau

The peninsular plateau is triangular in shape & surrounded by hills. It is
composed of the oldest rocks (igneous and metamorphic rocks) as it was
formed from the drifted part of the Gondwana land. It covers an area about 16
lakhs sq.km.
Peninsular Plateau is bordered by the Western Ghats in the west, Eastern
Ghats in the east and the Satpura, Maikal range and Mahadeo hills in the
north. Anai-Mudi – is the highest peak of peninsular India.
The peninsular plateau can be divided into three broad groups:

 The Central Highlands

 The Deccan Plateau
 The North-eastern Plateau

River Narmada divides the peninsular plateau into two parts : The central
highlands and Deccan Plateau.
Division of Peninsular plateau

The Central Highland The Deccan Plateau

Aravalli hills The Deccan trap
The Malwa Plateau The Western Ghats
The Chotanagpur plateau The Eastern Ghats
The Bundelkhand – Vindhyanchal The North – East extension
plateau
The Central highlands of peninsular India include the Aravallis, Malwa plateau, and Vindhyan range
etc.
The Central Highlands - Features of Aravali hills:
 It is one of the oldest fold mountains of the world.
 It extends from Gujrat through Rajasthan to Delhi. The highest peak of
the Aravallis hills is Gurushikhar.
The Malwa Plateau and Chhota Nagpur plateau are parts of the central
highlands.
Deccan Plateau:
The Deccan Plateau which include Mahadev Hills, Kaimur Hills, Maikal Range,
Western Ghats, eastern ghats , Nilgiri, Anaimalai Hills and Cardamom Hills.
The balck soil area of Deccan Plateau is known as Deccan trap, which is formed
by volcanic activity and supports Sugarcane and cotton cultivation. It has
Western and Eastern ghats. Both the Ghats meet each other at Nilgiri hills.
Northeastern Plateau:
It comprises of Meghalaya and Karbi Anglong plateau which are detached from
the main block. The Meghalaya plateau is divided into three parts- Garo hills,
Khasi hills and Jaintia hills. The Meghalaya plateau receives maximum rainfall.
It is also rich in mineral resources.
Sr. The Western Ghats The Eastern Ghats
1. The Western Ghats lie on the western The Eastern Ghats lie on the eastern
margin of the Deccan Plateau. margin of the Deccan Plateau.
2. The Western Ghats are higher in The Eastern Ghats are lower in elevation.
elevation. Average width: 100 to 200km
Average width: 50-80 km
3. They have a continuous chain of The mountain chains are not continuous
mountains and are denuded by the rivers which flow
into the Bay of Bengal.
4. No major river has cut across them. They have been cut across by major rivers
like the Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna and
Kaveri.
5. The highest peak in this region is The highest peak in this region is
Anaimudi Mahendragiri

Significance of the Peninsular Region:

 Rich in mineral resources: The peninsular region of India is rich in both
metallic and non-metallic minerals. Like iron, manganese, copper, mica, gold, silver,
coal etc.
 Agriculture: successful cultivation of cotton, millets, maize, pulses, oranges and citrus fruits.
South – tea, coffee, rubber.
  Forest Products: teal, sal wood and other forest products, the forests of Western
and Eastern Ghats are rich in medicinal plants and are home to many wild animals.
 Hydel Power: many rivers, which have waterfalls. They help in the generation of
hydroelectric power.
 Tourism: There are numerous hill stations and hill resorts like Ooty, Mahabaleshwar,
Khandala, etc.

Coastal Plains
A plain extending along a coast is called a coastal plain. The coastal plains in India run
parallel to the Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal along the Peninsular Plateau. The coastal
plains are belts for growing spices, rice, coconut, pepper etc. The coastal areas are known
for fishing activities, therefore large number of fishing villages have developed along the
coasts.

The Eastern Coastal Plains lies between the Eastern Ghats and the sea coast. It
is wider because the rivers like Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri formed
the delta over there. Chilka Lake and Pulicat Lake
The western coastal plain is a narrow belt along the Arabian sea of about 10-
20km wide. It stretches from Rann of Kachchh to KanyaKumari.
It has four divisions:

 Kachchh & Kathiawar coast in Gujarat

 Konkan coast in Maharashtra
 Goan coast in Karnataka
 Malabar coast in Kerala (has backwaters aka ‘kayal’)

Indian Desert

The Indian desert is located in the northwest part of Aravali hills, also known as
Thar desert. It is 9th largest desert in the world. The rainfall recieved is below
150 mm per year. The vegetation in the Thar is semi-arid type with thorny
bushes. The rivers are ephemeral and only Luni is a significant river.

The Islands in India:

There are two major Island groups – Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Bay of
Bengal and Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands in the Arabian sea. They are
separated by “Ten degree Channel”. The coastal line of these islands has coral
deposits and beautiful beaches. They have equatorial type of vegetation.
Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands are located near the Malabar coast. They
are built entirely on coral deposits. Out of the 43 islands, Minicoy is the largest.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands – 204 islands in number in the Bay of Bengal.
They are formed due to a volcanic eruption.